Jade's fists clenched as he stood in the center of the dilapidated warehouse, the air thick with tension. His heart hammered in his chest, but his expression was a carefully crafted mask of calm.
Nebet's presence was like a shadow that consumed the room. The other members of the gang, his Eleven, stood behind him like ominous statues—silent, waiting for something. They weren't mere thugs. They were monsters.
Jade glanced at them, his gaze briefly lingering on his older brother, Rael. Rael's face was a mixture of disdain and apathy, his posture relaxed but there was something dangerous about him. It was the look of someone who'd embraced the darkness within.
The moment of silence stretched into eternity before Nebet spoke. His voice was like a low growl, his words dripping with venom.
"Jade, you still don't understand, do you?" Nebet said. His eyes locked onto Jade, as if assessing him like an insect pinned under glass. "Aetherion's life... It doesn't matter now. You are just a fragment of what you once were. Weak."
The word felt like a blade, cutting through Jade's thoughts. Aetherion. That name, his old self, the identity that Jade had buried in the deepest recesses of his mind.
"You're wrong," Jade growled. His voice was barely a whisper, but it carried an immense weight. The pressure of his thoughts, the weight of his identity, was pushing him to the edge. "I'm not Aetherion. I'm Jade. I have nothing to do with him anymore."
Nebet smirked, as though the very idea of Jade's resistance was laughable.
One of Nebet's men—a large, hulking figure—stepped forward. His aura was oppressive, his power palpable. His grin was twisted, as if enjoying Jade's discomfort.
"Jade, huh? You really think you can take us down?" the man taunted, his deep voice echoing throughout the room. "You're nothing but a shadow of Aetherion. We've seen your power, and it's not enough. You're still too weak."
The words were like a spark in dry tinder, and Jade could feel his resolve shattering. His past life, the memories he had tried so hard to ignore, rushed to the surface like a torrent. The pressure inside him mounted until, finally, it erupted.
"Shut up!" Jade roared, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light. Time seemed to freeze for a moment, and his body surged forward. With a single motion, his hand collided with the man's chest, sending him flying backward with a force that shook the room.
The other members of the Eleven reacted instantly, but Jade's fury had clouded his judgment. His hands moved in a blur, each strike powered by the years of hidden rage that had been smoldering inside him.
Rael, watching from the sidelines, finally spoke up, his voice cold and detached.
"You've gone too far, Jade," Rael said, a smirk forming on his lips. "You think you can take on all of us?"
Jade paused for a moment, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His eyes locked with Rael's, and for the first time, he saw something new in his brother's gaze: a glimmer of pity.
"You're right," Jade said, his voice filled with bitterness. "I can't take all of you on... not yet."
Nebet's smile widened as he stepped forward, his gaze locked onto Jade. "Then you'll learn," he said softly, his voice like a death sentence. "You'll learn that fighting us means your end. You've been given a chance, but this world... it won't let you win."
As the tension in the room reached its peak, Jade's mind raced. His power was still growing, still untapped. But how far could he push it before everything around him collapsed?